Gutters are secured to buildings to collect water running off a roof and to divert this runoff water into down spouts. The water is thereafter directed away from the building perimeter, for example into yards or storm drains. While gutters do an excellent job of collecting runoff water, they also undesirably collect foreign matter including leaves, twigs, tree buddings, and other debris. The collection of debris in gutters interferes with its ability to collect the runoff water and direct the same away from the building perimeter. As a result, the gutters must be periodically cleaned to remove the debris therefrom. Many people find this cleaning task unenjoyable, time consuming or too hazardous due to the height of the gutters above the ground.
Numerous gutter guards have been developed to prevent the collection of debris in the gutter while allowing the runoff water to be received in the gutter. Examples of prior gutter debris guards can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 608 844; 1,732,058; and 2,636,458. Some prior gutter guards include gutter screens made of woven metal wire which prevents debris from entering the gutter. Metal wire screens are expensive to manufacture and install relative to nonmetal screens, eg. plastic and nylon screens. Metal screens also can be awkward to remove to perform the cleaning task. Further, if the wire does not have a large enough gauge to prevent sagging under its own weight, the weight of water running off the roof onto the screen or the weight of debris that lands on the screen, then valleys are formed in the screen. Debris collects in these valleys and can interfere with the water collection. Thus like the gutters without gutter guards, one must clean the screen so that runoff water readily flows therethrough into the gutter. Some prior gutter guards have rigid peripheral frames enclosing the gutter guard to provide stability to the gutter guard. However, this significantly increases the cost of manufacturing and installing the gutter guard.
Nonmetal screens are also used in an attempt to prevent debris from collecting in gutters. However, nonmetal screens introduce a drawback, namely, the tendency of nonmetal screens to sag like the light gauge metal screens discussed above. At a sagging portion of the nonmetal screen, debris builds up and blocks water from passing therethrough into the gutter. Consequently, the gutter does not receive the runoff water and the runoff water flows over the debris and undesirably over the side of the gutter closely adjacent the building. Thus, the purpose of the gutter is defeated. Also, the sagging portion permits debris to build up within the gutter resulting in blockage, water back up and water overflow. Additionally, some previous arched gutter guard supports may act as dams to retain debris on the mesh rather than disburse debris from the top of the mesh/screen.